1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a secure mail system that minimizes the time and resources required to detect and treat toxic mail, and helps identify the terrorists who send such mail.
2. Description of Related Art
The United States is undergoing terrorist attacks on its infrastructure and institutions. One such attack involves anonymous mailing of harmful anthrax spores in envelopes addressed to members of the media and Congress. This bioterrorism is particularly insidious because it makes use of a postal system that has been trusted to deliver the nation's mail for generations.
Postal workers who handle this toxic mail have been contaminated and recipients of such mail have been infected, with deadly consequences. The Postmaster General has reported that there is no way known to ensure safe processing of mail in the United States. Also, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have been unable to identify the persons who send toxic items in the mail. There is little evidence to support a search for such terrorists, because the open mail system of the United States can be used with relative anonymity.
It has been suggested that this present threat of bioterrorism may be addressed by either steam heating or irradiating each of the millions of envelopes and packages that pass through the system, thereby destroying any hazardous biological material.
While machines are available to provide such decontamination, they are very expensive and it may take considerable time to modify them for operation in handling mail. Given the huge volume of mail in the United States, it is doubtful that all such mail could be efficiently and reliably decontaminated without requiring substantial delays in delivery. Moreover, the decontamination process could destroy the contents of packages that are not harmful. Bio-decontamination also does not eliminate the threat of terrorism from explosive devices or hazardous chemicals sent through the mail. Moreover, the proposed decontamination processes will not assist in the identification and apprehension of the people who are responsible for this bioterrorism.
In attempting to deal with the terrorist threat, the Post Office has instructed the public not to open suspicious mail. For example, users of the postal system have been admonished not to open mail that is heavily taped, bears excess postage, or is addressed from a person whom the recipient does not know. Unfortunately, terrorists are also privy to these instructions and will no doubt modify their behavior to avoid the described characteristics of suspicious mail.
Under these circumstances, it is imperative that the United States and other countries with similar problems employ an improved mail processing system that not only discourages the mailing of hazardous substances but also assists law enforcement in identifying terrorists who engage in such activity and those who support them.
It is desirable to provide such an improved mail processing system that reliably identifies and isolates or treats only the relatively small volume of mail that has a high security risk. It is also desirable to implement such a system without requiring burdensome and expensive changes to the infrastructure of the postal system and unreasonable delays in the delivery of mail.